| Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products -> Monitor Keywords |
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Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base productsMethod and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090099687, Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/665,709, filed Mar. 28, 2005, and of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/715,282, filed Sep. 8, 2005, each of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference. 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to apparatus for affixing a label or other type of tip-on onto base products as they traverse a base conveyor, and more particularly to a system for placing tip-on products onto base products (tipping) by traversing a continuously moving base conveyor from a processor-controlled sheet feeder. 2. Discussion of the Prior Art Friction sheet feeders are known in the art and are commonly used in printers, plain paper copiers, and the like to feed individual sheets, one at a time, from a stack of such sheets into a printer or copy machine. Friction feeders have also been used in mass mailing applications for assembling and collating packages of sheet materials between flights of a conveyor leading to a high speed wrapper. It is important in such applications that the friction feeder delivers products, one at a time, in synchronized relation to the operation of associated equipment accurately, reliably, and repeatively. For example, in the mass mailing application, a plurality of friction feeders are arranged along a length of a transversely extending belt conveyor and each such friction feeder must deliver only one article at a time from its stack onto the conveyor as each defined flight thereof passes the discharge end of the friction feeder. The friction feeders must therefore operate reliably, at high speeds, over prolonged periods and with a minimum of operator intervention for clearing jams or multiple feeds. A friction feeder admirably suited for this type of duty is described in the Vedoy et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,563, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth fully herein. The Vedoy \'563 patent describes in detail how sheet-like articles contained in a stack or hopper can be delivered, one at a time, by way of a discharge conveyor whose speed is electronically controlled via a microprocessor-based motor control circuit. In performing a “tipping” operation, a sheet feeder is made to place a sheet-like tag or label onto a base product as the base product traverses a base conveyor. It is often a requirement that the tag or label (hereinafter referred to as a “tip-on product”) be placed at a location on the base product with a high degree of placement accuracy. The prior art friction feeders have been made to operate in a start-then-stop mode referred to as “indexing”. The indexed or step-by-step mode inefficiently moves the tip-on product from the feeder to the conveyor. The use of indexing constitutes a trade-off of overall product throughput for more consistent placement accuracy. When the feeder stops on the next base product, it will stop at a specific spot on that product. This allows the feeder to have a consistent distance to travel prior to placing the tip-on product on the base conveyor product. Typical prior art friction feeders use indexing because the product separation on the feeder discharge conveyor is not uniform due to the use of friction to separate the products from the bottom of the stack. Other known prior art tipping systems that continuously move require the use of mechanical mechanisms, e.g., chains, lugs, etc., to keep the tipping machine\'s discharge synchronized with the movement of the base conveyor. In addition, on such systems, the products may require a uniform product separation for the tip-on product and base product to remain synchronized. It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a system and method to facilitate accurately matching and placing non-uniformly spaced tip-on products from a friction feeder onto non-uniformly spaced base products that are traveling on a base conveyor while both the feeder and the conveyor are continuously moving. Another object of the invention is to provide a system of the type described that is capable of running at substantially higher rates of throughput than known prior art indexing-based tipping systems. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system of the type described that imposes less wear and tear on the equipment than a conventional indexing system as well as less wear and tear on products being handled in that each product is subject to less friction due to lower accelerations and decelerations. The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention are attained by providing a motor-driven endless belt conveyor having a first encoder coupled to said motor that provides base conveyor positional information as it transports base products on the conveyor. A motor-driven sheet feeder is provided for delivering individual tip-on products from a stack to a discharge conveyor where the discharge conveyor has an outlet end positioned above the endless belt of the base conveyor at a matchpoint location on the base conveyor. The motor of the motor-driven sheet feeder also has an encoder for providing discharge conveyor positional information. A base product sensor is positioned relative to the base conveyor for detecting the arrival of base products at a predetermined point on the base conveyor and producing a signal relating to the detected event. Similarly, a tip-on product sensor is positioned relative to the discharge conveyor of the sheet feeder for detecting the arrival of tip-on products at a predetermined point on the discharge conveyor and producing a signal relating thereto. Completing the tipping system is an electronically-controlled programmable processor that is coupled to receive as inputs the base conveyor positional information, the discharge conveyor positional information, the signal from the base product sensor, and the signal from the tip-on product sensor and where the processor is programmed for generating a motor control signal to continuously adjust the velocity of the discharge conveyor so that a base product and the tip-on product arrive at the matchpoint location simultaneously. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a second-stage discharge conveyor may be positioned between the discharge conveyor of the sheet feeder and the selected matchpoint on the base conveyor where the second stage discharge conveyor also incorporates a microprocessor-based motor control circuit including an encoder and a tip-on product sensor and where the controller\'s microprocessor is also programmed to implement a PID loop. The use of the optional second stage conveyor provides even greater precision in the placement of tip-ons on base products and at significantly higher rates than can be achieved by prior art systems where indexing or other mechanical mechanisms are used to maintain synchronization. Continue reading about Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products... Full patent description for Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090292392 - Multiplexed gathering device and method - A multiplexing gathering device includes a first gatherer for forming first gathered printed products on a first line and a second gatherer for forming second gathered printed products on a second line. A collecting device collects the first and second gathered printed products. A first transporter transports the first gathered ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Work transfer system, route setting method, and route setting program Next Patent Application: Integral robot system and method for the dislodging process and/or anode handling from casting wheels Industry Class: Data processing: generic control systems or specific applications ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method and apparatus for continuous motion tipping of tip-on products onto continuously moving base products patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 2.43149 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry paws |
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